Head to head
Samsung Galaxy S26vsApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max for the larger screen, peak brightness and video playback time. Choose the Galaxy S26 for lower weight. The Galaxy S26 is £320 cheaper at UK RRP (£879 against £1,199). The Galaxy S26 gets security updates until February 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.
- Released
- 2026-03-06endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £879Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy S26 series, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2033-02-28Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy S26, retrieved 2026-09-22
- Released
- 2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £1,199Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
1 win for Galaxy S263 wins for iPhone 17 Pro Max6 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£320 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead on 3 rows, Galaxy S26 on 1 row
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the Galaxy S26 wins on weight (167 g against 231 g); the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on display size (6.9 in against 6.3 in), peak brightness (3,000 nits from the maker against 2,600 nits from GSMArena) and claimed video playback (37 h against 30 h). 6 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: battery capacity (4,823 mAh from GSMArena against 4,300 mAh from the maker) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, battery per charge (53 h against 51 h) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, battery lifespan (1,200 cycles against 1,000 cycles) for the Galaxy S26, fast charging (40 W against 25 W) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, wireless charging (25 W from the maker against 15 W from GSMArena) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (6,531 against 5,405, both from 3DMark) for the Galaxy S26. Both state the same refresh rate, storage (base) and RAM. The other 37 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
1 attribute neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the Galaxy S26 better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the Galaxy S26 wins on weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 231 g (Apple UK); the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on display size, 6.9 in (Apple UK) against 6.3 in (Samsung Newsroom UK), peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (GSMArena) and claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 30 h (Samsung UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 53 h against 51 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 30 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung Newsroom UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy S26, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 231 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (GSMArena).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy S26 gets security updates until February 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The Galaxy S26 is £320 cheaper at UK RRP (£879 against £1,199). Prices from Galaxy S26: Samsung Newsroom UK; iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple UK store.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.